An Introduction To Performance Testing

Performance testing is the process of testing the software application for the non-functional aspects like response time, speed, reliability, and scalability under different workloads. The main purpose of performance testing is to identify the performance bottlenecks of software applications and eliminate them for better usage. The performance testing is to test the speed, scalability, and stability. The major objective of performance testing is to provide the information to the stakeholders about the application's reliability, scalability, response time, throughput time, and other non-functional aspects.

If the performance testing is not performed then there will always be a possibility of having issues such as slow response time, weak throughput, weak connection time, etc. Performance testing is important for software applications with long duration of usage and with large deviations in workloads.

Also, Read Principles of Software Testing

Types of Performance Testing

Load Testing :- It is used to test the software application performance under large user loads. It ensures that software applications will work when thousands and millions of users are working on software applications simultaneously.

Stress Testing :- Stress testing is used to identify the application usage when an extreme workload is applied to the software application. The objective of software applications is to identify the breaking point of the application.

Endurance Testing :- This is used to test the software application and how it will perform under a long duration of usage.

Spike Testing :- Spike testing is used to test the application with sudden increases and decreases in user loads.

Volume Testing :- Under Volume Testing large no. of data is populated in the database and the overall system functionality is monitored. The objective of volume testing is to determine how the software handles large volumes of data.

Scalability Testing :- It is used to test the scalability of software applications i.e. to determine whether the application can be upgraded in the future for usage by more no. of users.

Also, Read The Significance of SQL For Software Testing

How To Perform Performance Testing?

Performance testing is executed through various methodologies but the objective of performance testing remains the same. It helps to ensure that the software application performs as required in large user loads, huge data, and other aspects that introduce performance bottlenecks in software applications.

Step 1:- Identify Your Test Environment

Before testing the software application testers must know about the software application, the purpose of the software application, and the software, hardware, and network configuration required for testing the application. It helps the tester to perform more effective testing. It helps the tester to identify possible challenges that could occur while performing testing of the application.

Step 2 :- Identify The Performance Acceptance Criteria

The performance acceptance criteria are the expected results or criteria the software application has regarding to its performance under user loads, data volume, and network configuration. Most of the clients don't have much clarity on performance parameters, and the documentation provided by the client doesn't have any major information on performance aspects, therefore it becomes the responsibility of the tester to outline the performance parameter of the application according to its usage and purpose.

Step 3 :- Plan and Design Performance Tests

Determine and plan performance testing test cases that are used by software testers to test performance criteria. The test cases are designed so that parameters required in software application performance are scaled up correctly. The test cases should have huge scope and should be less in numbers. The test cases help simulate real user environments, plan test data, and outline traceability matrix.

Step 4 :- Configuring the Test Environment

Prepare the testing environment before execution. The hardware, software, and network configuration that are being used in performance testing is arranged by the QA team, and the test data, and testing scenarios are being collected to simulate a real-world user environment.

Step 5 :- Implement Test Design

The performance test cases are created according to the development purpose, business objective, and technical requirements of the software application.

Step 6 :- Run The Tests

The test cases and test data prepared for software applications are executed under the test environment that simulates the real-world user environment. The test cases are being executed and the defects that are being identified get delivered to the development team get fixed and retested by the QA team.

Step 7 :- Test Closure Report

After being completely testing the application the test closure report is created which defines the value of different traceability matrices that give information on application performance under different user loads and volumes of data.